A Fool's Paradise
by Danaeyl Panthernopaeus
Summary: People will judge you, no matter what. They look at you differently, if you are not the same as the rest. There is nothing that can be done to change human nature. First person POV. Will eventually contain dark and savage themes and sex.
1. Chapter I

**~A Fool's Paradise~**

**Author:**

Danaeyl Panthernopaeus.

**Theme:**

Alternate Universe.

**Storyline:**

Fuuchouin Kazuki enjoys hiding behind his wall of serenity. It makes him feel safe and warm and it stops him from getting too close to people. Even with Juubei, he isn't completely honest. He found that when people know about what he enjoys doing; they never look at him the same way.

There's a problem happening in the Infinity Fortress. People are dying and MakubeX can't seem to find a reason behind it. There is nothing outwardly wrong, so that leaves with the possibility of internal.

Midou Ban doesn't really like the Infinity Fortress. He doesn't like the way Ginji changes when he's in there and the way it affects the rest of them. Ban knows that deep down all the ex-Volts members want it to return to the way it once was. At least, he thought that was what they all wanted.

**Disclaimer:**

The names, faces and places used in this story do not belong to me. This is a work of fiction, created to fuel my own dark and twisted nature and hopefully all of you.

**Author's Note:**

A friend of mine, Aerys Krystie was telling me about a story that he and his friend LunarPlexus are planning to write. Of course, this is not that story. However, I would like to send out my thanks to those two crazy friends of mine for giving me this idea.

Also, please be aware that a lot of the characters will be out of character, especially the further on the story goes.

XxX

"_What makes you more of a man than I?"_

The question rolled around my head as I strolled back to my house. I didn't remember anything else about the conversation. I only remembered asking that question because there was some snide remark made. I never understood the way some minds worked. Not that I was particularly interested in the mindset of some people.

Pretending to be interested was one thing. Pretending to care was something entirely different. Not many people got that sort of affection from me. Most of the time people didn't even get my feigned interest. It wasn't as though my laziness would come as a surprise to anyone.

My house was waiting for me where I had left it. Surprisingly enough, Ginji was with it. As I got closer, I saw that the blond idiot wasn't alone. He was talking to someone. I knew that he had to see people that day; something about a birthday for Emishi. I lost interest when he said that he wasn't going o be around. I had to entertain myself for the day.

I walked up to Ladybug and lovingly patted her roof. I had a feeling that Ginji was going to ask something very important of me. Unlike the ex-Volts members, I had no problem with saying 'no' and leaving it at that. Sometimes he would get the best of me and I would be forced into something that was extremely annoying. That was basically anything that involved his old gang.

"Emishi-kun actually likes him, Ginji-san. Even if he does say no, at least we asked," a gentle voice said.

I couldn't see the face but I knew it had a calm smile. His brown eyes would be twinkling in a way that made everyone feel safe and would do anything he wanted. Threadspinner Kazuki was the most manipulative person I had ever met.

It wasn't that he was false – it would have made hating him a lot easier, though – and it wasn't in the way he manipulated people. He never did anything to anyone that would make them feel bad about what had happened. Kazuki usually only used his powers of persuasion for little things. Such as getting Ginji to ask me something that they both know is going to en with a huge, resounding no.

I pulled a cigarette out. Where I continued to get my supply from was something that would remain a mystery.

I stayed on the other side of the car, listening to Ginji whining about asking me to attend Emishi's party. I hadn't even said anything giving that idiot a 'happy birthday' from me. Emishi was a close second to Shido for my hate.

It seemed that Ginji was going to be giving Kazuki a difficult time, today. Nothing the Threadspinner said was getting through to the blond. I had to admit, I was grateful about that. Crushing Ginji wasn't something I prided myself on. And I knew he would heartbroken if I refused to attend that damned party.

Kazuki straightened and spotted me. He didn't say anything. In fact, his eyes went blank as though whatever life Ginji had breathed into them was gone because I was around. I knew how all of the ex-Volts felt about me. I took their precious Thunder Emperor from them. It was a damn good thing, as far as I was concerned. The rate that Ginji was going at, he would've been dead by now.

Of course, I knew that wasn't reason why Kazuki decided to go numb around me. I actually don't have the slightest idea on what I did to the Threadspinner.

About a month ago I noticed it. He came into the Honky Tonk, saw Ginji and me in there and walked out. Everyone knew that was completely out of character for Kazuki, even when Ginji called out the ridiculous nickname he had for the last Fuuchouin. Kazuki didn't even acknowledge that Ginji was in the room. Naturally, Kazuki had apologised for it the next day and Ginji tried to get a reason out of the Threadspinner. Hell, I was curious.

And I still didn't know what I had done.

"Ask him or don't ask him, Ginji-san. That is up to you," Kazuki said coldly. Ginji's head snapped up and I could see the dumbfounded gleam in his eyes.

I raised an eyebrow and smirked as Kazuki stared at me. Ginji called Kazuki's name gently. It wasn't often that anyone saw the Threadspinner go into a daze. Not without Kakei around to make sure he wasn't in trouble. I lit the cigarette and finally got Ginji's attention.

"Ban-chan!" he cried happily as he grinned at me, forgetting for the moment that Kazuki was still in la-la land.

I ignored Ginji and continued to gaze at Kazuki. It seemed that he was content on not blinking until I did. I didn't even realise that we were having a ridiculous staring contest. Eventually it came to an end. For some reason he winced.

"Will I see you at Emishi's party, Ginji-san?" Kazuki asked. He was almost back to normal. His face and voice still lacked the usual warmth that surrounded him.

Ginji turned back to Kazuki. "I'm still not sure, Kazu-chan," he said honestly. He looked back at me. "Did you want to attend Emishi-chan's birthday party, Ban-chan?"

I shrugged and threw the end of my cigarette to the ground, crushing it beneath my heel. "Sure. It sounds like fun."

I knew it was going to be far from fun, as far as I was concerned. My idea of fun meant tormenting people. Not in the, I'm-going-to-make-you-bleed-until-I'm-bored way. Hell no. I enjoyed riling people up and making them so angry, they attacked me. I missed having a good fight. I missed someone that could challenge me that way.

"I'll let Emishi-kun know, Ginji-san," Kazuki said quietly. Ginji had yet to calm down from his happiness dance.

I watched as Kazuki walked away. He didn't even look at me again. That annoyed me. What gave that girly man the right to act so high and mighty around me? I wished Kazuki would stop acting like an idiot and just tell someone what was bothering him. I was almost certain that Kakei would know what was wrong with threadspool.

Ginji stopped his happy dance and turned to me. He lent on the car. His eyes glazed over and I knew he was going to ask me a question I couldn't answer. "Do you know why Kazu-chan is acting so weird around you?"

"Probably PMS," I answered half-heartedly. At that moment, it was a good answer as any.

Ginji said something about having to find a gift for Emishi and ran off. That made me curious on what he had been doing all day. If I knew Ginji, it was most likely that he got lost or got distracted. He probably helped out anyone he thought needed it.

While he ran off, I sat on the hood of the car. Kazuki's strange behaviour was still on my mind. What _was_ going on with him? Why _was_ he acting that way? Why _me_? I was beginning to think it was possible I had wronged the brunet in a past life. It seemed a little late to be pissy with me about it, though.

I decided to push Kazuki and his odd behaviour to the back of my mind. I wish I could say I had too many other things to worry about. I didn't really have any, except the usual ones. Mainly getting money so I could eat.

"Ban-chan!" Ginji called as he ran back towards the car.

I couldn't think of anything that the blond could have forgotten. Upon closer inspection, I saw that he was waving something in his hand. I didn't expect him to find a gift for Emishi _that_ quickly. Ginji was extremely indecisive at the best of times.

When he got to the car, he stopped and pulled out his mobile phone. He grinned when he looked at the caller ID and answered. "Kazu-chan! I just found your wallet. Okay. Okay. Of course. Yup! Bye, Kazu-chan."

I removed another cigarette and placed it between my lips. I looked at Ginji. Usually he told me in great detail what the conversation was about. His grin didn't seem as big as it usually was and his eyes weren't as lively. I figured Ginji would tell me when he was ready.

"Kazu-chan said he would swing back here to pick it up. But I don't want to get to the shops too late or they'll be closed." Once again, Ginji's indecisiveness kicked in.

I watched him talk to himself for a few minutes before I sighed in annoyance. He had a good two hours left before the shops closed but I knew he would need much longer than that.

I held my hand out. "I'll hold onto it while he walks back here. I didn't realise he gotten so far away. It only seemed like twenty minutes ago he left."

Ginji looked at the wallet then at my hand. He repeated several times. My impatience was growing by the second. I knew that if Ginji didn't find a half way suitable gift for Emishi, he would whine and mope about it for days, maybe even weeks. I didn't want to be subjected to that kind of torture.

"Did you want to get the gift for Emishi, or not? If not, then you can stay here and wait for threadspool. If you want to get the gift, I suggest you give me the wallet and run like crazy." I tried to remain as calm as possible. Ginji had been around me long enough to know that while I might sound calm, I wasn't.

Ginji placed the wallet in my hand and grinned as he ran off, waving. I lowered my eyes to the white leather object in my hand. For a male wallet, it seemed feminine. It was entirely Kazuki. I glanced around to make sure I was alone before I opened it. I didn't want to deal with an agitated Kazuki. I heard stories of what he could do with those strings of his.

I pulled out the slip that was made to store cards or pictures. It seemed that Kazuki used it for pictures. I looked through them. There was something strange about the photos. Kazuki had at least one picture of everyone, including Himiko, Hevn, Natsumi, Paul and Akabane. As I studied them, I came to realise what was odd about them. They weren't photos. They were drawings.

I didn't know if it was Kazuki who had drawn them, but whoever did had done an amazing job.

I dropped the wallet as my phone began vibrating in my pocket. I usually didn't get startled. Then again, I wasn't usually looking through someone's personal shit. I frowned as Ginji's number appeared on the screen and answered it.

Ginji quickly informed me that Kazuki had to go home and change, due to an unfortunate event that involved a group of teenagers and balloons filled with paint. I committed the address to my memory so I wouldn't get lost and hung up. I picked up the wallet and saw a piece of paper that I didn't notice fall out, probably when I opened it.

My natural curiosity got the better of me. It wasn't meat with much restraint and I unfolded the paper. There was an address written on it, along with a name: Syl Pharmaceuticals. It was located in the Infinity Fortress. I had to question why Kazuki would have that address. I doubted it was because he got medicine from there.

Whenever we were in the Infinity Fortress, we always went to old Gen. I would admit that I didn't know much about the Infinity Fortress, but I wasn't expecting there to be so many pharmacies. That was, of course, if Syl Pharmaceuticals was indeed a pharmacy or a wholesaler.

Of course, there was also the option that it was a job for Kazuki. That didn't explain why he had the paper, either. Kazuki probably had an eidetic memory, with all the information he kept inside his head. So, I was out of ideas why he would have that address kept in his wallet.

I slipped it back in and pushed off the car. I opened the door and sat inside, staring out the windshield for a few minutes. I was chastising myself for getting too curious about another person. Kazuki usually welcomed people to be around him. Lately, it seemed as though he was trying to push them away. I had no idea what to expect at the party.

With a sigh, I started Miss Ladybug and made my way over to Kazuki's pad. I often wondered what everyone's house looked like. I got the feeling that Akabane and Hevn lived extravagantly. They just seemed like the people who would. Monkey-Man didn't really have his own place. Emishi and Kakei lived in the Infinity Fortress with MakubeX.

I thought about Kazuki's address. He was within walking distance of the Infinity Fortress. Everyone would naturally assume it was so he could be close to Kakei. Why those two didn't just announce they were a couple was beyond me.

Outside, the skies darkened. There had been a storm warned for this evening, but no-one believed the weatherman anymore.

I pulled up outside of the apartment building. It looked as though it hadn't been maintained in years, possibly decades. I sighed and closed my eyes. Why was I doing this? Couldn't Threadspinner have picked it up at the party?

I looked at the passenger seat, where the wallet was laying. I raised an eyebrow. It seemed comfortable there and that was when I decided that I needed to get more sleep. I snatched up the pile of leather and threw open the door. I closed and locked it. When I turned around to look up at the building, a sudden downpour of rain came.

The three seconds it took me to get inside the building was enough to soak me. Threadspool owed me big for this. If I got sick and died, I was going to haunt his ass for the rest of his life.

I shook his head and wrung out as much water as I could from my shirt. I went over to the elevator and growled when I saw the red 'Out of Order' sign on it. I huffed over to the stairs. I could be grateful that Kazuki wasn't on the tenth floor. If he was, I would've just told Ginji to tell Kazuki that he could come down and get it himself.

I took my time walking up to the second floor. If paint had been involved, Kazuki would probably be showering. I had enjoyed looking at his body in the hot springs, but that was under the assumption he was female. I didn't want to see him wrapped only in a towel, again.

When I reached the second floor, I raised an eyebrow. Kazuki was waiting outside of his apartment. He had his hands behind his back as he stared down at the floor. There was something strange about him. I had grown accustomed to the sudden chill that could surround him, as well as the warmth. He looked different, though. Almost scared and sad.

"Hey, _itomaki_," I called.

Kazuki looked up. He had a strange expression on his face. I was just glad to see that he remembered how to show emotion around me. He straightened his posture as I got closer.

I stood next to him and rested my shoulder against the wall. I held out the wallet and Kazuki took it. He turned to enter his apartment without saying 'thank you'. Normally, I wouldn't care. But I had gotten soaked because of him. It was the least he could do.

"Hey, threadspinner." Kazuki paused with his hand on the door. He didn't look at me, not that I was expecting him to. "Where are your manners?"

"If I ever need a lesson in etiquette, Midou, I will not come to you."

He entered his apartment. Before he could close the door, I grabbed it and forced it open. I wasn't going to enter his home without permission; I wasn't that much of a douche. Kazuki glared at me and I returned the look. I wasn't going to let him think he could treat me however he wanted.

"Considering I got soaked due to your idiocy, I think the _least_ you could do is thank me."

For a second, I saw compassion flitter through Kazuki's chocolate eyes. It vanished as he slammed the door in my face. My eyes widened. What the hell could have happened that made Kazuki decide he hated me? I shook my head. It was possible that while Kazuki seemed to be the sanest one of the ex-Volts, he was just as fucked up as the rest.

I had no idea how long I was standing at that door, staring at the cold wood. I knew that people walked by, muttering to themselves about the company that the girl on the other side kept. I didn't care what they said. Kazuki was probably the most interesting thing that had happened to this dump.

I wanted to leave and forget about what happened. I knew it would have been easy, if I didn't have to see Kazuki again. I would be seeing him later that night and even worse, I got the feeling that there was something going on inside the Infinity Fortress. It could have something to do with the address in Kazuki's wallet.

I guessed my body didn't care what I wanted as I opened the door to Kazuki's apartment. I moved my head as a string came at me. I knew it was only a warning, but maybe I could get Kazuki to see sense. He wouldn't want to make his beloved Thunder Emperor more upset with him.

"Get out."

"No," I said flatly as I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. I observed Kazuki and raised an eyebrow slightly when I thought I saw his left eye flash white. "Come on, _itomaki_. You're upsetting Ginji with this little fit you're having."

Kazuki crushed the delicate teacup he was holding. "Leave now, while you're still in one piece, Midou or I will send you back to Ginji-san in several."

I was beginning to wonder if Akabane and Kazuki had traded personalities for a while. This Kazuki wasn't the one I had grown accustomed to. This Kazuki was somewhat frightening, and I never thought I would be scared of the threadspinner.

Still, I wasn't going to let him get away with treating me like I was worthless. If he had a problem with me, he could tell me to my face. I didn't want to have to worry about looking over my shoulder because of his mood swings. And if we did end up in the Infinity Fortress, I didn't want another thing to worry about.

"I don't think Ginji would be impressed by that. Look, if you have ––" I moved my head as another string came at me. Unfortunately, I moved my head into a second one I didn't know about. "What the fuck, Kazuki?"

I placed a hand to my left cheek and pulled it away. I looked at the blood on my fingertips and glared at the threadspinner. I was perfectly capable of talking to Kazuki like he wasn't some sort of psycho. But I wasn't going to stand there and be attacked for no reason.

Kazuki's left eye flashed white, again. "Get out."

"I'm even less inclined than I was before," I shot back. "This has gone too far, now. If you're attacking me, it won't be long before you're attacking anyone that looks at you the wrong way!"

Kazuki lowered his eyes. I could feel relief rushing through my body. I was glad that I had gotten through to him. Now, all I needed to know was why he was acting this way. I couldn't think of anything that could cause such a drastic change in someone's personality.

Kazuki raised his head. "I suggest you leave before I start with you."

I sighed and shook my head. "Whatever. Sooner or later, you're sexual frustration is probably going to cause you to attack Ginji." I smirked as a blush crept onto Kazuki's cheeks. Even when he was angry, he still blushed like a little girl at the mention of sex.

"And only you would assume it was something as simple as that."

I laughed. It probably came out less mockingly than I wanted it to. Kazuki was becoming himself again. "Everyone has their suspicions about you, _itomaki_."

Annoyance and embarrassment flashed through Kazuki's eyes. "Get out!"

I decided that was my cue. I didn't want to dodge anymore of his strings. I had also managed to warm up a little before I had to step back into the cold. At least I knew that there was still some of the old Kazuki left inside.

What was I saying? Of there was still some of the old Kazuki. That came out every time he spoke to Ginji without me around. He was probably his normal self with everyone else but me. What made me so special? Maybe he was more comfortable around me? I highly doubted that.

I knew I wasn't going to get anything out of Kakei. There was nothing left to do, aside from disregard any thought that might pop up in the future. And if I'm lucky, Kazuki will get drunk at the party and I can interrogate him.

XxX

I spent an hour hunting around for Ginji, before I finally grew bored of it and called him. He neglected to mention that he had met up with Monkey-Man and Madoka and was going with them, unless I wanted to drive them all. Madoka, not a problem, but not Monkey-Man.

I parked Ladybug just outside of the entrance. I wasn't going to run the risk of her getting stolen or destroyed over some stupid party. I took my time. Even if I didn't know where I was headed, all I had to do was go in the direction of all the noise.

I paused outside of an alley. I wouldn't be missed from the party. Ginji would be having a great time and Kazuki wasn't going to mention me. I decided that while I was in the damned Fortress, I could check out Syl Pharmaceuticals. I was still curious about that, and it was one of the things I wanted to talk to Kazuki about.

I didn't actually know where the address was, but if I was lucky, I could find someone who did. As I passed by Gen's place, I saw Ren running down the stairs. She was likely to be on her way to the party. She might not like Emishi much, but Kazuki was going to be there.

"Ren," I called, getting her attention. She stopped and looked over her should, grinning at me.

"Hi. Are you headed to Emishi's party?" she asked as she walked over to me.

I shook my head. "I'm trying to find a place. I don't know if you've heard of it – Syl Pharmaceuticals?"

Ren frowned. "Why would you be looking for a place like that? I don't even know why they call themselves a pharmacy."

I raised an eyebrow. She seemed to know a lot about it. Maybe I wouldn't need to ask Kazuki. "What do you know about it?"

"Not much," Ren admitted. "I only know what I've heard from people. A place like that isn't spoken about by normal folks. It's really close to the Beltline, so I haven't gone there and seen it for myself."

I nodded. "What do people say about it? It seems to anger you a lot."

"People say that when someone goes in, they don't come out the same. I don't know much else, other than that. Why are you looking for them?"

"A friend of mine had their address written down." That was a half-truth. Kazuki wasn't exactly a friend but Ren didn't need to know that.

"I know that Kazuki-san was looking for it. I don't actually know if he found it, though. Maybe I'll ask him at the party. He might be able to take you there. You sound concerned for this friend of yours." Ren smiled and began walking towards the party.

I watched her for a few minutes, until she stopped and told me that Kazuki-san was already there. I knew I was going to have a hard time thinking of an excuse for this one. I cursed my curious nature and trailed after Ren, placing a cigarette between my lips.

Ren and I arrived at the scene sixteen minutes later. We were both greeted excitedly by Emishi. Ren pulled out a small box from the pocket of her jacket, and handed it to the joker. I shrugged and walked in, hoping there would be alcohol of some sort.

I was surprised to see a bar set. Kazuki was talking to Kakei about something. I didn't bother to eavesdrop. I had way more important things to do. Avoid Kazuki and get drunk. It sounded simple enough.

"Ban-chan, you made it!" Ginji cried as he jumped onto my back. "I was beginning to think that you got lost, until I remembered that I was only person that gets lost in here. Did you want something to eat? Natsumi-chan made a lot of good stuff."

I shrugged Ginji off. "Not right now. You go and have fun, though."

"Ban-chan, did something happen between you and Kazu-chan when you dropped off his wallet? I asked if you had and the moment I mentioned your name, he growled. It was kinda scary."

I glanced at the threadspinner. I was tempted to interrupt him and Kakei and demand to know more about Syl. There had to be a reason why someone wanted them investigated. They wanted someone that could get the job done, too. Maybe that was why Kazuki wasn't acting like himself.

"Ban-chan?"

I blinked and looked at Ginji. He grinned and shoved a plate of sushi beneath my nose. It smelt divine and I couldn't stop myself from eating it. I enjoyed it a great deal, too. Ginji grinned and helped me with the devouring.

Once we were finished, I placed the empty plate on the bar, and got to my feet. Ginji was called away by someone else. I figured that Emishi had enough places for everyone to sleep, if they got too drunk.

I wandered down the bar, looking over the selection that I had a choice of. Emishi had every kind of alcohol available. There were gin, rum, vodka, bourbon, whiskey, liqueurs and many others. I picked up a bottle of bourbon. It had been so long since I last drank that I had probably turned into a lightweight.

I got a glass and hunted down the cola to mix it with. As I looked, I overheard Kakei. "Promise me you won't go back there. Every time you go there, you come back angrier and not like yourself, Kazuki-sama."

"I thought you of all people would understand, Juubei." Kazuki got to his feet and walked off.

"You can stop pretending that you aren't listening, Midou-san." Juubei turned his head towards me slightly and I shrugged.

Whatever their little tiff was about, it had nothing to do with me. It did, however, have something to do with a place that I was interested in. "Were you asking _itomaki_ to stay away from Syl Pharmaceuticals?" I asked innocently, finally finding the damned cola.

"It seems as though he's addicted to that place." Kakei stood. "I had better get him."

I contemplated my unmade drink and taking Kakei's place. Kazuki would probably attack him, and that wouldn't end well. Then again, I didn't have any reason, other than wanting to see this place, to follow Kazuki.

"Good luck," I said absently as I mixed my drink.

In front of me, the rest of the guests were playing some insane looking game. Ginji tried to get me to take part, but I would rather stab needles in my eyes.

Besides, I couldn't get Kazuki off my mind.

Just as I was about to take the first sip of my drink, my phone began vibrating. I couldn't think of anyone that would be calling me. Whoever it was, I was going to kill them. All I wanted was one night where I could get so smashed, I could blame it on Ginji the next morning.

I looked at the screen. The number was blocked. "What is it?" I asked bluntly.

"Ban, it's Hevn."

My eyes scanned the room. She wasn't there. I figured for sure she would have been invited to this little celebration. I got to my feet and headed out the way that Kazuki and Kakei had gone. She sounded terrible and I needed somewhere slightly less noisy in order to hear her.

"What have you done, now?"

"It isn't what I've done, but what I've gotten for you and Ginji. I need the GetBackers to do a job."

I looked up the street and saw Kakei trying to stop Kazuki. "What sort of job?" I inquired as I watched the scene between the lovers. I was just like everyone else; I assumed they were together.

"A client wants a place in the Infinity Fortress checked out. Apparently, there are human experiments going on." I could hear the disgust and anger in her voice. I was beside her on that one.

"Ginji and I are currently at Emishi's birthday party. Did the client want to meet up tonight or wait until the morning? Either way, it isn't going to make much difference." I lit the cigarette that hadn't left my lips since I entered the Fortress.

"Tomorrow morning, eight at the Honky Tonk. Don't be late."

The call ended and I slipped the phone back into my pocket, as a cold breeze swept past me. I continued to watch the scene between Kakei and Kazuki from the corner of my eye. It came to an abrupt halt when Kazuki answered his phone. I wondered if Hevn was calling all of us for this little mission.

"Of course, Hevn-san," Kazuki's voice floated to me. It had the usual warmth, and gentleness to it that I found I was beginning to miss.

I continued to puff on my cigarette. It wasn't often that I heard Hevn sounding as though she was scared. She was usually so confident and fiery. I guess it had to be urgent as the music inside stopped.

Kazuki was off the phone and I could hear Ginji's excited voice. I could only hope that Monkey-Man wasn't going to be part of the mission. I couldn't deal with him at the best of times.

I finished my cigarette and placed another between my lips. Kazuki was walking towards me. As expected, he didn't look at me as he entered. His head was lowered, as though he was deep in thought. He probably was. If he was arguing with Kakei, I assumed he finally figured out that he was going down the wrong path.

The music was turned on again and the party resumed. Ginji was probably going to enjoy it for as long as possible. It was never fun having to give up a good time in order do something we didn't want to. Still, a job from Hevn usually had a decent price attached to it. And it usually had a decent amount of danger, also. That was something I was _not_ looking forward to.

XxX

End Chapter I.

Hope you all enjoyed it. There is a lot more to come, so please be patient.  
>Also, please ignore the mistakes. I went over it several times, but there are a lot that will elude me.<br>Please review.


	2. Chapter II

**~A Fool's Paradise~**

**Author: **  
>Danaeyl Panthernopaeus.<p>

XxX

There was a sinking feeling. I knew that something bad was going to come of this mission. I tried not to think about it. If I didn't think of it, it wouldn't happen. That was my ridiculous reasoning behind it.

The party had ended quickly last night. I didn't have a problem with it. Ginji asked if he and I could sleep there for the night. I did have a problem with that. Emishi had been more than happy to accommodate us. I spent the remainder of the night standing outside, practically chain-smoking.

It had been a strange night. Kazuki seemed to have calmed down a great deal. When I walked outside, we didn't say a damn thing to each other. The silence we were in wasn't tense or awkward. It was as though we came to an unspoken, mutual agreement. We wouldn't attack each other if Ginji was around.

Well, I wouldn't anyway. And I certainly wasn't going to bend over backwards to be civil towards the threadspinner. If he made some cranky remark, I would make one back. I was beginning to think that Kazuki and Shido had a lot in common, as well.

Monkey-Man and I hated each other. There was no denying that. But what kind of hatred was it with Kazuki? It was an almost raw hatred. At least it was on his behalf. I was sort of indifferent towards it all.

Kazuki's bells chimed softly in the still night.

The rain had stopped hours ago, but a chill remained in the air. Kazuki shivered in his long sleeved shirt. I was tempted to say something, but didn't want to ruin the moment. If the string-master found it too cold, he would go inside.

I glanced at the threadspinner from the corner of my eye. I didn't actually realise what he was wearing. He had a long sleeved shirt on, which fell to mid-thigh, and that was it. I assumed he had underwear on, but I couldn't see it.

I always figured that Kazuki would be – what's the word? – uptight about his appearance. I thought he wouldn't want anyone to see him without pants on. At that moment, he looked more like a woman than he usually did.

He looked at me, and caught me staring. He didn't glare, nor did he blush. He just turned his eyes forwards again. I was beginning to think that Kazuki was dying inside. Or maybe he mellowed out more during the night, and didn't care how he was seen.

"So…" I started as I lit another cigarette.

"So," Kazuki repeated, pulling his ridiculously long hair over his shoulder. He petted it, and with the thickness and length that it was, it could be classed as an animal.

"Are you stealing more jobs from Ginji and me?" I asked lazily, sliding my eyes towards him.

"I have my own fee, just as you and Ginji-san do."

"Why the hell would we need a guide for a job?" I was getting crabby just thinking about it.

"Being a guide isn't my only talent. Unlike you, I am rather diverse."

I snickered. "Everyone knows how _diverse_ you are, _itomaki_." I inhaled a breath of a smoke. "Let's face it. Anyone that sleeps with you gets the best of both worlds."

Kazuki tensed. If he were a cat, I was certain his hair would've bristled. I knew that he was tender about his appearance, despite how much he played it down. He disliked it when people mistook him for the opposite sex.

Kazuki sighed. "At least my partners get the best of something from me."

I narrowed my eyes. "And what is that meant to mean, _itomaki_?"

Kazuki stared at me. He didn't seem phased by my glare. He had been on the receiving end of it many times. "I only meant that while you talk a big game, you are probably only talk."

Suddenly, the question came back to mind. _"What makes you more of a man than I?"_ I don't even remember who had asked it. So I had no idea why Kazuki saying that would bring it up.

"You'll never know, _itomaki_. I wouldn't want to deal with your hormones afterwards." I drew in a breath on my cigarette, blinking when it was cut in half.

"You shouldn't make assumptions based on your own flaws, Midou," Kazuki stated blandly.

I removed the cigarette from my lips, and dropped it to the ground. I watched as Kazuki reattached his bell to his hair, figuring he had won the little debate. I was far from over, and I wasn't going to let him get away with attacking my cigarette.

I stepped closer to him. He stood his ground. "You do _not_ attack a smoker's cigarette, if you expect to live."

Kazuki's left eye flashed white. "Are you threatening my life, Midou?"

The cut on my left cheek throbbed in time with Kazuki's eye. I had no idea what was going on with the threadspinner. I knew next to nothing about him, and I decided that had to change.

"I thought you would have been used to death threats. You know, from the girls that see you eyeing off their boyfriends."

Kazuki narrowed his eyes and reached for a bell. I grabbed his wrist and swept his feet out from under him. He gasped quietly as he landed on the floor with a soft _thud_. He struggled to get his hand free, but I tightened my grip a little more. I knew he wouldn't want me to break any bones. And I couldn't really be bothered dealing with Kakei.

I smirked as I settled myself between his legs. I growled when he punched me with his free hand. I always thought that Kazuki would slap someone. I could feel a bruise beginning to appear already. His punches weren't anything to laugh at. It was like being hit by a truck.

I squeezed his slender wrist a little more, and he drew in a sharp breath. He glared at me with hatred, and I was beginning to find myself liking that look on his face. It was a look that only I received.

I knew that pinning Kazuki was a sure victory. At least that was what I was hoping for. I didn't expect his long legs to be able to twist around, and give him leverage. I don't exactly know how it happened. I just remember being dazed that I was on my back, with Kazuki straddling my waist.

He plucked a bell from his hair, and wrapped a string around my wrist. I narrowed my eyes and went to squeeze it more, when his words stopped me.

"If you tense that arm anymore, my thread will sever your hand."

I looked at the string. I had no idea why I doubted Kazuki's ability to be cruel. Maybe it was because he wasn't normally like that. I released his wrist and the string was removed. He recalled it and got to his feet. He looked down at me.

"Your ego is astounding," he stated before he turned, and walked inside.

I stayed where I was. I knew that my ego was going to be the death of me. It didn't change the fact that I liked having my ego that big. My pride was what kept me going. And probably sheer dumb luck, too.

I slowly got to my feet, and pushed my glasses further up my nose. I rested my back against a pole that kept the veranda up. I placed a cigarette between my lips, and pulled my lighter out. I looked over my shoulder as the rain fell, fast and heavy. The mere sound of it was deafening.

I watched as a cat jumped onto the veranda, and shook the water from its coat. It stared up at me with large, gold eyes. I frowned as it walked past me. Its eyes didn't leave mine, and I came to conclusion that I didn't like animals all that much. Especially cats. They always looked evil.

The cat pushed open the door, and slipped into the building. I had to raise an eyebrow at that. I couldn't see Emishi allowing the animals of Infinity Fortress using his house as a haven. It might not normally do that, but decided to because Monkey-Man was inside.

I brought the flame up on my lighter, growling when a gust of wind blew it out. I tried a further nine times, before I decided I wasn't going to be allowed my nicotine. I slipped my light back into my pocket, and lazily rolled the cigarette around my lips as I leaned my head back, closing my eyes.

My mind went to the job Hevn had lined up for us. I wanted to know why we needed Kazuki. If it involved the Infinity Fortress, I could see why we needed him. I guess it could be said that I didn't want him with us.

If the previous jobs were anything to go by, depending on the level of risk, we were likely to be split up. When it came to this hell, there was never such a thing as a 'straight forward job', despite what the clients said.

I opened my eyes as lightning flashed. It illuminated the glass pane on Emishi's door. I straightened, my eyes wider as I thought I saw someone inside. Whoever it was, was wearing a cat mask. When the lightning flashed again, there was no-one there. The area behind the door was empty.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. If I was seeing things, it was time I went to sleep. I had no idea what the time was, but knew I had to be up in a few hours. I entered the building, and looked down at the cat. It mewed at me and I snorted. Cats were not a good judge of character.

I made my way into the living room. Natsumi and Madoka had taken the spare bedroom, and Ren had returned home. The rest of us men were stuck in the living room. Ginji was sprawled out, taking up as much room as possible. Shido was sitting by the window, and Kakei was laying beside the sofa. I had tried fighting Kazuki for it, but I was outnumbered.

It was empty, and I couldn't see Kazuki anywhere else in the room. I shrugged and threw myself onto it. If he had gone to the bathroom, well, it was his loss. I closed my eyes and fell into a light sleep.

XxX

When I opened my eyes a few hours later, I looked around. Everyone else was still asleep, so I figured I was the first one up. That changed when I heard someone shuffling around in the kitchen. I figured it was one of the girls, and staggered to my feet.

The sofa was the most uncomfortable thing I had ever slept on. I made my way into the kitchen, and raised an eyebrow as I saw Kazuki making tea, and coffee for everyone. I wondered, briefly, if he had slept last night. He looked refreshed, and ready to face the day.

I collapsed into a chair. I waited as patiently as I could. I didn't say anything as Kazuki placed a mug in front of me. The scent of coffee woke me, almost immediately. From the living room, I could Kazuki waking everyone. I heard Ginji's whining and Shido's grunt.

I drank half my coffee, and then decided to search for the bathroom so I could freshen up. I finally found it, at the end of a long hallway. I looked at the shower. It had a mobile head, and I was perfectly fine with that.

I turned on the cold water. The pipes rattled but nothing happened. I looked at the head, and raised an eyebrow. It didn't appear to be blocked.

"Come on," I growled at it.

I shook the head, and sighed. It wasn't that surprising that it didn't work. I was inside the Infinity Fortress, after all. I reached over, and turned the water on a little more. Maybe that was all it needed.

The pipes rattled some more, and still no water.

"Ban-chan?" Ginji called as he entered bathroom.

I looked over my shoulder, just as the water finally decided to make an appearance. I cried out as the icy spray hit me. I dropped the head, but the force of the water was enough to have it whipping around.

I froze as the water hit my crotch. I was thankful when it slapped me on the chest. Ginji screamed as he was hit with the water, as well. I never would've thought that water could be so fucking cold.

"Turn it off, Ban-chan!" Ginji whined, and I glared at him.

"What do you think I'm trying to do, idiot?"

I reached for the tap, and slipped on the water that was on the tiled floor. I crashed into the bath. Ginji also slipped, but he fell backwards. I could feel myself drowning as the water filled my mouth, and went up my nose. I coughed and spluttered as the water was turned off.

I could hear the others laughing their asses off. I raised my head, and glared at them. Natsumi held her phone, and I had no doubt that she had been recording it. Monkey-Man was laughing the loudest, next to Emishi.

Kazuki stared down at me. His eyes sparkled with malicious amusement, and all I could think of was Doctor Jackal.

Kakei was inspecting Ginji, and found nothing wrong with him. He moved over to me. I ignored him, and got to my feet. I found every way possible to blame it all on Kazuki, but I didn't voice any of it. I knew my pride had been wounded, and there was no way I was going to make it worse by sprouting accusations.

I paid no attention to the pain that was radiating around my ribs. I narrowed my eyes as I looked into Kazuki's. My hands twitched, and all I wanted was to wrap my fingers around his elegant, slender throat. He wasn't laughing, but his silent mocking stung the worst.

I sloshed my way out of the bathroom, peeling off my white shirt. I went into the kitchen, and hanged my shirt over the back of a chair. I looked around for the time. It seemed no-one bothered to keep clocks, anymore.

Ginji bounded into the kitchen. He handed me a towel, and I snatched it from his hand. The least Emishi could do was give me a towel to dry off. I was still fuming, but anyone could sense that.

Natsumi entered as well. I could hear my voice on her phone as she replayed the video. "You look really good on camera, Ban-san," she remarked as she filled the kettle, and put it on to boil.

I snarled from beneath my towel, and picked up my mug. I drank what was left of my coffee, slamming the cup down. I draped the towel over my shoulders with a sigh.

"What time is it, Natsumi?" I demanded. I didn't care if I wasn't dry. I just wanted to get away from that place.

"Huh?" Natsumi looked at her phone, and then back at me. "Nearly quarter to seven," she answered.

Ginji and I would have to leave soon. I hoped that the blond idiot wouldn't ask Kazuki to ride along with us. If that did happen, I would kill us all. Or at least mess up so bad that we spend the next three years in intensive care.

"Do you think we call ride together, Ban-chan? Kazu-chan said something about getting a job offer from Hevn-san," Ginji said as though he was reading my mind.

"No," I snapped.

Ginji pouted, and I almost expected him to deflate. I hated it when he went like that. But I was sticking to my guns. I dropped the towel over my head again, and roughly started drying it. I could handle my body being wet, but not my hair.

Kazuki entered the kitchen, with the cups from everyone's breakfast drinks. He bid Natsumi farewell, and left. I was grateful for the towel. I removed it, dried my glasses and slipped them back on, as I got to my feet. I picked up my shirt, flicked it, and shuddered as the cold, wet material touched my slightly warmer skin.

I grabbed Ginji by the arm, and dragged him out of the building as he shouted a goodbye to everyone. Once outside, Kazuki was a few yards in front of us. I kept my eyes nailed the back of his head. I knew it was making him uncomfortable. I saw his shoulders tense.

I pulled out my drenched packet of smokes, and sighed wearily. The job that Hevn had for us had been be worth it. If not, I would kill that damned _itomaki_. I still had no idea why I would. I just wanted his smug face to be a memory.

The walk to Miss Ladybug was done in silence, on my behalf. Ginji was ranting about how much fun last night had been. He hadn't wanted it to end, but that a job would be good. I pushed my hair out of my eyes for a moment, and closed them.

I rolled my shoulders slightly. Someone was watching me. I causally glanced over my shoulder, and saw that the cat from last night was following us. I raised an eyebrow. The person I thought I saw in the window came to my mind.

I hadn't sensed anyone, which worried me. Whoever or whatever it was didn't seem to have a presence. If it did, I'm certain it would have disrupted everyone's sleep. I was left blank on it, and faced forward. If the cat wanted to follow us, it would have a hard time keeping up with the car. I smirked at the image that came to mind.

Kazuki and I felt it at the same time. Someone had a murderous gaze on us, and I looked over my shoulder. All I saw was the cat. Ginji noticed it a second later. None of us were sure if we wanted to find out what it was, and postpone the meeting with Hevn. I glanced at Kazuki, and he nodded. We would attend the meeting, and then find out who would be glaring at us in such a manner.

Kazuki waited for us. He walked on Ginji's right. We could feel the eyes on us, until we left the Infinity Fortress. I scanned over my shoulder as I unlocked the car. Kazuki walked on, and I was grateful.

I slipped in, unlocking the passenger door. Ginji was silent, and lost in thought. I stared ahead. I knew that we had enemies inside the Infinity Fortress, but I didn't think any of them were still alive.

The traffic slowed to a crawl.

Ginji turned to me. "Ban-chan?" he asked.

"What is it, Ginji?"

"What do you think this job is? I know I usually don't ask questions, but I've got a bad feeling about it."

_That makes two of us._ I smirked and shrugged. "Guess we'll find out once we get there. If this damn traffic ever moves!"

Ginji nodded. He stared out the windshield, and I knew something was weighing heavily on him. It could have something to do with the gaze we felt on us. I would never know. I learnt a while ago to not ask what he was thinking.

I heard the chime of Kazuki's bells. I checked the review mirror, and turned in my seat. I thought I saw the person in the cat mask, again. Ginji looked at me with concern, and I chalked it up to lack of sleep.

I kept checking the mirror. Last night made sense, as to why I thought I saw that person. Today, it made no sense. There wasn't any reason for my mind to be playing tricks on me.

A horn honked behind me. I glared at the person, and pressed the accelerator. I slammed on the breaks as the cat from the Infinity Fortress jumped onto the front of the car. The animal hissed at me, and ran through the cars.

The horn sounded again.

I was trying to get my heart to calm down. I had no idea how in the fuck that cat had made it here, without being killed. I floored the pedal, running through the lights before they changed colour.

I had a feeling that Hevn's job involved Syl Pharmaceuticals. I wasn't sure how much I wanted to know about them.

"_He seems to be addicted to that place."_ Kakei's words ran through my head. Ren didn't know why they called themselves a pharmacy, but she admitted to not knowing much about them. Kazuki didn't seem like the type of person to get addicted to a drug.

_What is going on?_ I asked myself, as I sped around cars, and between them. Why was nothing making sense? Oh, I knew why nothing was making no sense. I just wanted answers to my questions. Questions I didn't know I had.

Ladybug came to a screeching halt outside of the Honky Tonk café. I frowned as Kazuki calmly walked up to the door. I got out of the car, and rested against my door, placing a still soaked cigarette between my lips. My shirt was sticking to my back, and it was extremely annoying.

Ginji slowly got out of the car. He looked back at me, and I waved him into the café. It would be best if Hevn knew we were here, even if I wasn't in there. I stared up at the clear, blue sky.

"Ban-chan, we're needed," Ginji called from the door.

I nodded. I entered the café, and didn't even look at Paul. Natsumi probably didn't have work today, or was starting later on.

Ginji and I sat opposite Hevn and Kazuki. "Thanks for getting here, on time," Hevn started. She handed me a manila file. "The place that the client ––"

"Syl Pharmaceuticals," I interrupted without looking in the file. Kazuki tensed slightly. "They're the ones doing the human experiments?"

"I've never heard of Syl Pharmaceuticals," Hevn answered, narrowing her eyes at me for cutting in. "The place is called Kuroshi."

I opened the file, and looking through the contents. Syl Pharmaceuticals wasn't mentioned, but I got the feeling they were involved. "So why do we need a guide?"

Kazuki sighed, and took the first sheet of paper from the file. "You don't need a guide," he replied. "We need a priest."

Ginji crawled onto the table, to get a look at the address. "That's on the Beltline, isn't it?"

I snapped the file shut. I had never been on the Beltline, but I had heard about Kazuki's experience up there. I wasn't looking forward to it. "Our price just tripled."

Hevn nodded. "The client was expecting that. They're willing to pay any amount."

"What are we recovering?" I inquired, removing the cigarette from my lips. I had no doubt that there was a small yellow stain on them.

"They didn't call it by its name, only by the letters L and I," Hevn reported.

Kazuki took the file. He scanned the documents contained, and closed his eyes. "Shouldn't we all be together for this? I have a bad feeling that the LI is going to be like the IL."

Hevn shook her head. "The client was specific on who they wanted. They only wanted the GetBackers and the guide, Fuuchouin Kazuki."

I gazed at Hevn. "That's…very specific." My eyes slid over to Kazuki. He was the best guide in the country. His mind held more information than I could even think of.

"The price was right, and I didn't need anymore details. Of course, you don't have to take the job, Kazuki-kun." Hevn glanced at the threadspinner.

"They asked for me. I'm not going to disappoint whoever they are." Kazuki smiled.

"They also asked for the Prince of Terror. I didn't know who that was, so I informed them that he wouldn't be joining you." Hevn handed Kazuki a piece of paper. "This is the address they want you to meet them at."

Kazuki glanced at the paper. He closed the file, and got to his feet. "We should get moving now, then."

I smirked as Kazuki headed towards the door. "So eager to please," I said, just loud enough for him to hear. Kazuki decided to ignore me, but Ginji had a questioning look on his face.

"What makes you say that, Ban-chan?"

I slipped out of the booth, and shoved my hands into my pockets. "You probably wouldn't see it, Ginji. He's a lot like a puppy."

Ginji glanced at door. "I think Kazu-chan is more like nightshade."

I raised an eyebrow. Ginji was being dead serious about that, and while I agreed, my ego continued to tell me that all Kazuki and nightshade had in common was they were both delicate. I had never really seen Kazuki in battle, but I could guess that he was a formidable opponent.

I shrugged. I wasn't going to talk about the threadspinner. There wasn't anything to talk about. I followed Kazuki out of the café, and down the street. Ginji ran past me, stopping by Kazuki's side. They spoke gently between each other.

I froze when I saw the cat. Kazuki paused, got down on one knee, and held his hand out. The animal whined pitifully before it jumped into Kazuki's arms. The cat had its front legs over Kazuki's shoulder. I could swear the feline was glaring at me.

"I didn't know you had a way with animals, Kazu-chan!" Ginji grinned as he stroked the animal's white fur.

"They know who they can trust, Ginji-san." Kazuki started walking again.

I didn't think he would take the cat, but I've been wrong about him before. As we walked, my cigarette finally started to dry out a little. It still wasn't able to be lit, but I was willing to wait.

We passed an animal shelter, and Kazuki ducked inside to hand over the cat. Ginji went in with him, and I stared at the picture of the 'Dog of the Week'. It was some small rat of a dog, with a shoved in face. I didn't know the breed.

I always wanted a pet. I knew I would never be able to have one, but it was something that sporadically played on my mind. Usually whenever I saw someone walking their pet, or I passed by a pet store. I was then quickly reminded of why I didn't have one.

It wasn't a money issue. There were a lot of animals that were going for free. It wasn't a housing issue. Though, it would be handy to have a place. It was a time issue. The jobs that Ginji and I went on could last a while, especially when they involved the Infinity Fortress. And there was the fact that Monkey-Man would refuse to leave my pets alone.

I didn't want to return home one day, and have my animals attack me for no reason.

I looked through the glass, at Kazuki. Ginji was running around, trying to look at as many animals as he could. Kazuki was talking to a worker, while stroking the cat. I looked at my reflection, and once again, saw the person in the cat mask behind me. If it wasn't for the fact that there was a glare, I would think that person was my guardian spirit.

I spun around. My fingers wrapped around the throat of the person, and I pinned them to the glass, which cracked under the force.

"Why are you following me?" I demanded.

I heard Ginji gasp. "Ban-chan, what are you doing?"

I winced as something thin cut the top of my hand. I looked at the wound, and then at Kazuki, who was returning a bell to his hair. I looked at the person I was pinning to the window, and released them. I had a middle aged, business man there.

Ginji quickly went about apologising for my behaviour, and Kazuki made a few snide remarks about my sanity level. There was a mention of me forgetting to take my medication, as well. I didn't care what Kazuki said. I had been worried about Kazuki attacking random people, but I was the one doing it.

"Oh, my," a voice said, and my blood chilled. I hated that voice. "What a surprise. I must walk through this city more often."

I glared at Akabane. "Keep walking, creep."

Akabane smiled at me. I could never tell if he was being sincere with those smiles, or deceptive. "Why would I do that, Ban-kun? I am simply having too much fun watching this little display."

"There is nothing more to see here," Kazuki stated.

Aabane's eyes opened, and he lost the smile. Kazuki had never been that short with anyone before. The jackal stared at Kazuki for at least two minutes. He smiled again, and nodded.

"You are right, little Kazuki-kun," Akabane said as he walked up the street, without another word.

I looked at threadspinner. He had his attention on the man I had assaulted, who was looking much better than he previously had. I was grateful when he said he wasn't going to press charges. If he did, I would have killed him then. No-one likes being wanted for murder.

I pushed my glasses up my nose. "Look, if he's okay, then we should be moving on."

The man gave us a nervous grin, straightening his jacket. "Yes, you probably should. I think I've taken up enough of your time."

I gazed at the man. It all seemed a little strange. I would have hung around, and asked questions, but I didn't want to pay for the window I had damaged. I nodded at the man, grabbed Ginji's left arm and Kazuki's right, and dragged them down the street. When we turned a corner, I released them.

"Are you okay, Ban-chan? It isn't like you to attack random people." Ginji stared at me with large, worried eyes.

I raised a hand, placed it on his head, and ruffled his hair. "I'm fine, Ginji. I've just been a little stressed lately." Kazuki snorted. I glared at him.

Ginji seemed happy with my answer. He skipped a few paces ahead of me, and the threadspinner. I glanced at Kazuki. He had his eyes lowered. He almost looked as though he was to start crying.

"You got the Jackal's attention back there," I remarked casually, looking down at my cigarette. I was still waiting for the damned thing to dry. "I don't think that's a good thing."

Kazuki raised his eyes to the sky. There were dark storm clouds in the distance. "I think he was more interested in you and Ginji-san. He doesn't see me as a threat."

I thought I heard a touch of disappointment in Kazuki's voice. I had to be hearing things. I doubted Kazuki would care if Akabane saw him as a threat or not. I subconsciously raised my hand to my left cheek, and tenderly touched the cut on it. I would've thought that the time I spend in the Infinity Fortress would have been enough to heal it.

"Ginji-san, stop," Kazuki called softly. Ginji looked over his shoulder. "We're here, Ginji-san."

I looked up at the building. I was having major flashbacks to when we had to meet the client for the IL. I opened the door, and stepped in. My eyes darted around. I wasn't going to be taken by surprise.

"_Welcome_," a voice boomed from somewhere. "_We're glad that you all made it._"

As I looked around, I saw cameras were set up, along with a sound system. The clients probably weren't anywhere near us. It made me think of MakubeX. He hadn't been at the party last night. I can't believe I didn't notice it then.

"Hello," Ginji called. "Where are you?"

"_Somewhere safe. We would be there in person. We didn't want to put ourselves at risk, though._"

"We?" I repeated. "Just how many are there of you?"

"_Enough, for now. Our numbers are shrinking._"

Kazuki stood beside Ginji. "You wanted us to meet you here. What else do we need to know?"

"_You know where you are heading, in the Infinity Fortress. You know that the Kuroshi is located in the Beltline. You need to speak with the boy that calls himself MakubeX._"

I glanced around. We weren't alone in that abandoned building. "What could computer boy tell us that you can't?"

"_He has investigated the deaths, before it came to our attention. He could tell you more than we could._"

I stared at one of the cameras. There had been nothing mentioned about deaths in the file. I was beginning to feel as though we were only getting half of the story. Instead, I asked something I had been waiting to know for a little while. "Why did you want _itomaki_ here to be with us?"

There was a long silence. I was starting to think they weren't going to answer. "_We need the best. Fuuchouin Kazuki is the best. Just as you and Amano Ginji are the best. That's what we heard, at least._"

"You asked for the Prince of Terror, as well. Why?" Kazuki inquired. His eyes slid from camera to camera, but I got the feeling he could sense the other presence.

"_The Prince of Terror will be needed for what you encounter on the Beltline. We were told that Hevn-san could not get a hold of him. However, he is he ––_"

"What can you tell us about the experiments?" Kazuki interrupted.

I raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like Kazuki to get impatient. Unless he didn't want us to hear what they were going to say. I was going to assume they were about to say the Prince of Terror was in the building. It could be the other presence we were sensing.

There was another long pause from our clients. "_That is something you will have to see for yourself._"

"You aren't being very helpful," I shot at them. "We don't even know what we're recovering."

"_It is a data file known as LI. We need that file, and all evidence of it destroyed. And this concludes our meeting. I believe MakubeX is waiting for you._"

Ginji turned to me. "I'm really not liking this, Ban-chan. It feels too much like the recovery of the IL."

"There is a major difference between that mission, and this one." I tested my cigarette, hoping it was dry enough to smoke. It was close enough. "The only member of that crew we have with us is _itomaki_ here."

I lowered my eyes as we left the building. I would've thought they would have hired a transporter, just to be on the safe side. What the hell was Jackal doing in the city? He hated being here. There was no way he would be here, just for a stroll. It was possible that the people who ran Kuroshi had hired him. What would they need him to transport, though?

Kazuki suddenly gasped. He clutched his right shoulder, and closed his eyes. The file dropped to the floor, and Ginji paused. I raised an eyebrow as Ginji walked up to the threadspinner, picking up the file. He went to place a hand on Kazuki's shoulder, but Kazuki jerked away.

"Don't touch me."

Ginji hesitantly backed away. I, on the other hand, didn't give two shits. I sauntered up to thread-boy, and removed his hand. I wanted to know what was causing him to flinch. Syl Pharmaceuticals came to mind. I didn't want to think about it.

Kakei's words ran through my head again. I _really_ didn't want to think about it. Naturally, it didn't matter what I wanted. My mind played through various scenarios, each one worse than the previous.

Kazuki jerked back from my touch. "You two head on without me," he said, squeezing his shoulder more. "I'll catch up in a few minutes."

"We can't leave you here defenceless, Kazu-chan," Ginji replied as he danced around, trying to figure out a way he could be useful without touching the threadspinner.

Kazuki smiled at his former leader. "I'll be okay, Ginji-san. I promise. We can't keep MakubeX waiting any longer."

Ginji looked at the Infinity Fortress, and then back at Kazuki. He repeated a few times, before he shook his head. "MakubeX will understand why we're late. He cares about you, too."

"I'll be fine," Kazuki growled.

The cut on my cheek throbbed, and I knew that Kazuki's eye flashed white. "Okay, you win. We'll head on without you."

I walked past Ginji, took hold of the back of his jacket, and dragged him away from Kazuki. He kicked, and screamed the entire way. I wanted to get the job over and done with, as soon as possible. If Kazuki didn't want out help with whatever was hurting him, then fine. It was his choice. I wasn't his mother.

"Ban-chan!" Ginji's squirming got more violent. "We can't leave him there. What if someone attacks him?"

"Then it's their funeral," I replied quickly. Kazuki was only injured. He wasn't paralysed. I didn't see the reason why Ginji couldn't let it go.

Ginji finally stopped trying to get away. I didn't let go of his jacket, as I knew the moment I did, he would make a run for it. "I really hope he's going to be okay. Maybe I should bring it up with Juubei-kun."

I stopped walking. We were just outside the east entrance to the Infinity Fortress. Kakei hadn't mentioned anything about Kazuki being injured. Surely he would have noticed. Kazuki wasn't favouring any limb, though. Maybe that was why Kakei hadn't noticed anything wrong with him.

"If we run into him on the way," I began, walking and dragging Ginji, "you can mention it to him."

Ginji cheered happily, and I tuned him out. I doubted that Kazuki would open up to his friend. He seemed content on keeping everything a secret. He didn't want help from anyone. Maybe whatever the wound was embarrassed him? It was an option. But Kazuki didn't feel embarrassed around Kakei. They had been together forever. Hell, Kakei probably knew when it was the time of the month for the _itomaki_.

I sighed silently, as we entered the Infinity Fortress. I had no idea where MakubeX was holed up, and I knew Ginji would just get us lost. I kept hold of Ginji, and lit the cigarette that had been between my lips since we first started this mission. I hadn't gotten a chance to light it before. And there was no way I was going to wait for Kazuki without smoking.

Somewhere, in the darkest recess of my mind, I actually liked the look of pain on Kazuki's face. In the meantime, I hoped he would be get better soon. We didn't have all day to wait around for him.

XxX

End Chapter II.

I don't like this chapter. Once I've completed the story, I will do a complete revision of it (yes, the whole story). Until then, please enjoy this crappy chapter.

Also, please review.


	3. Chapter III

**~A Fool's Paradise~**

**Author: **  
>Danaeyl Panthernopaeus.<p>

* * *

><p>I don't know how long we were waiting. The seconds felt like minutes, and the minutes left like hours.<p>

Ginji found some chalk somewhere, and we played a few games of tic-tac-toe. It helped relieve some of the boredom. But when the chalk became too small to use, it came back with a vengeance.

After what seemed like an eternity, Kazuki entered the Infinity Fortress. He looked as though nothing had happened to him. He allowed Ginji to fling himself at him. He had no problem with being touched, again.

As much of a touching reunion as it was, we had somewhere to be. Once the job was complete, they could get all touchy-feely. "Come on. I think we've been delayed long enough."

Kazuki glared at me, as he set Ginji on the ground. I could read the words that were going through his head with that expression. Most of them weren't very nice. It made me realise that I've never heard Kazuki swear. I wondered what it would sound like if he did.

We started walking. Kazuki was a pace ahead of us, and I kept an eye on Ginji. I knew it wouldn't be long before he got distracted, and ran off in some random direction. I was tired of losing him every time we entered this hellhole.

There were some people around. Most of them ignored us. Some stared, most likely eyeing us up to see if they could steal whatever valuables we had on us. I would like to see them try. I know Ginji and I didn't have anything on us. Kazuki was a different story.

There were some children that ran around in the streets. They looked as though they were playing. For all I know, they could have been. There weren't any squeals of delight. In fact, they were silent. A few of the adults spoke to each other. They mentioned nothing important.

Some of the conversation I overheard, they spoke about the strange deaths. Apparently something called 'the Cleaners' had their work cut out for them. I had no idea what 'the Cleaners' were, but I got the feeling I would find out soon enough. With a name like that, it was only a matter of time before we ran into someone from that gang, or whatever it was meant to be.

Behind the visible people, there were others lurking in the shadows. If I had been a normal person, that would have made me a little nervous. Thankfully, none of us were normal. We had something in us that made us weird, and that was probably why we all got along fine inside the Infinity Fortress.

I watched as a teenager walked towards us. The head was down, and seemed to be a million miles away. He brushed past me, turning his head slightly. I saw a mark on his throat, and raised an eyebrow.

He mumbled some sort of apology. I stopped. I watched him go. There was something strange about him. Ginji tilted his head, saying something about the streets always having teenagers on them. I knew that. I wasn't expecting something familiar about that particular teen.

Kazuki chuckled. "You better check your pockets, Midou."

I frowned. I patted myself down. My eyes shot open. I turned towards the teen. He paused outside of an alley, smirking before he stepped through. I ran towards him. There was no way I was going to let him get away with pick-pocketing my cigarettes. They were all I had to last me until I got more. And I may have stolen them, too.

"Ban-chan!" Ginji called after me.

I don't know if he was following me. I doubted that Kazuki would allow him to. They would probably find me once they had spoken to MakubeX. Yes, I knew how stupid it was to run off in the Infinity Fortress. But I wasn't going to deal with computer boy without my smokes.

I turned up the alley. My eyes scanned the area. There had to be some clue as to where that little bastard had gone. I couldn't him see anywhere. There wasn't any way up the walls, unless the kid was Spiderman in disguise.

The air behind me shifted, and I spun around. As expected, there was nothing there. There was a titter, again behind me. Before I knew it, I was turned a full three-sixty, trying to find that kid. Every time I moved, it was like he moved with me.

I raised an eyebrow. Was I chasing my shadow? That wasn't likely. In the Infinity Fortress, though, it could be. I tilted my head slightly. There was whispering. It was raspy, as though it was my shadow attempting to communicate with me.

"Jagan master," it said. I could feel it moving around me. Something wasn't right with this. It didn't sound like a teenager's voice. "He was only the decoy. We know you can't live without your precious cigarettes. We only want to talk to you."

"And I'm pretty sure that's what Hitler said to the Jews." I waited as patiently as I could for the rebuttal. When I received none, I sighed. "What does whatever you're about to say have to with me?"

The teenager landed on a dumpster. His head was still lowered, and his pale hair glinted in the sun. He remained in the crouching position, not moving and barely breathing. I didn't know what to make of that, so I ignored it. I wanted answers from the fuckass voice.

"We want the Prince of Terror to stay away from the Beltline."

"Who the fuck is this Prince of Terror that everyone is going on about?" I was tired of hearing that cocky name, and not knowing who it belonged to.

"Kazuki _no Ito_."

The teenager's head snapped up. My eyes widened when I saw the scars over what would have been an attractive face. The right eye was permanently shut due to the extensive wounds. The lips look constantly cracked, and I had to wonder how in the world that kid survived.

Even though I felt pity for what the kid had gone through, it didn't stop me from finding the whole situation amusing. They had to be insane if they thought that Kazuki had done that sort of damage to someone.

I knew that Kazuki had the ability to defend himself. But I knew for a fact that he was incapable of killing someone. Not unless he had a really good reason. And I mean a _really_ good reason.

"You…you people seriously think that _itomaki_ was capable of doing that?" I burst out laughing. I couldn't see Kazuki doing that, even if his life did depend on it. "You people have got your lines crossed."

The teen's green eye narrowed. He leapt off the dumpster, and I had to admit, he was extremely spry. Almost catlike. "That bastard killed my sister," he hissed.

I laughed harder. I couldn't see Kazuki doing anything they had mentioned – especially killing a girl. It had to be a copycat. Kazuki wasn't the only one that used strings. He was the only with hair like that, though. For all I know, it could have been Akabane. Scalpels make thin incisions, also.

"Seriously, _itomaki_ couldn't have done it. He's too even-tempered, and delicate to be this 'Prince of Terror'." I took back my cigarettes. "Well, this was a nice talk. It was the best laugh I've had in years. But I really should get going."

I walked out of the alley, and paused. I looked over my shoulder. "Steal my smokes again, kid and I'll gut you where you stand."

If Kazuki had done what he did to that kid's face, I doubt that gutting him would make any difference. I walked towards where Ginji and Kazuki had been, before I ran off after my only salvation from murder. I needed my nicotine, and I didn't care what anyone else said about it.

Was it possible for them to mistake Kazuki for someone else? I had to wonder exactly what _itomaki_ was capable of. I couldn't see him killing someone's sister just for the sheer fun of it. That sounds more like something Jackal would do. Of course, I didn't know Kazuki as well as Ginji did. But Ginji wouldn't still be friends with him, if he was a murderer.

I wasn't going to mention it, to anyone. I did want to know why Kazuki had been lying. He knew the Prince of Terror. Why didn't he just admit to it? Maybe he wouldn't in front of Ginji. That seemed like something he would do. He probably didn't want Ginji to know about his 'secret life'.

I sighed, and pushed my glasses up my nose. Already this mission was beginning to annoy me. I was learning more about Kazuki than I ever wanted to. Still, just because we tolerated each other – or we _used_ to – didn't mean that I couldn't buddy up to him, and find what was going on.

As I walked in the general direction we had been heading, I thought about Kazuki's 'nickname'. The Prince of Terror. I had no idea how someone as delicate looking as Kazuki could be given such a title.

This mission suddenly got a lot less annoying.

I still thought that the creepy voice and that kid were wrong about Kazuki. It would be interesting to see if they were right. If Kazuki did that to the kid's face…It would seem like he had a lot of issues he needed to work out. Isn't that what Kakei was for, though? Why did I feel the need to play psychiatrist?

I looked at the packet of cigarettes in my hand. The white packaging had yellow stains tainting it. It wasn't _soaked_ any longer. It was still pretty damp, though. Which meant the little cancer sticks were useless to me, at this point in time.

I winced slightly as the cut on my cheek throbbed. I placed my hand over it, and looked around. Something wasn't right. I was being followed. It wasn't a rookie, either. They were only releasing a little of their presence. I didn't have time to deal with this. I didn't want to lead whoever it was to Ginji and the rest.

I lowered my hand, staring at it. It was bleeding again. Being inside the Infinity Fortress wasn't doing a damn thing for my healing.

I wandered over to a building. The windows were broken, which was a given, considering my location. There were a few shards stuck inside the wood. I tried to get as a good as possible in the dirty glass.

The presence was directly behind me. I pretended that I didn't feel it. That changed when there was a tut. I glanced over my shoulder, not in least surprised to see Kagami standing there. I raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here? And don't give me that 'observing' bull." I turned, not trusting the blond.

Kagami smiled. The gesture that was identical to Jackal's. "I am doing my job, Mister GetBacker. What are you doing here? I thought the Fresh Blood Joker's party was last night."

I glared. I hated it when they played coy. It was…I don't know. It just infuriated me. "You're not doing a very good job if you don't know why I'm here," I answered with a smirk.

Kagami's smile didn't waver; I didn't expect it to. He was completely unflappable. So much like Jackal. My glare darkened as Kagami reached out. He ran a finger over my cheek. He looked at my blood on his finger, with the same smile.

"You were here last night. This should have healed," he mused. It almost seemed as though he was talking to himself. "How strange. How did you acquire it?"

"What business is it of yours?" I demanded, slipping a hand into the pocket of my pants.

"I am only curious. It isn't often those with wounds stay like that for so long here." Kagami lost his smile. "Fuuchouin Kazuki?"

I snickered. "As if _itomaki_ could leave a mark on me."

"It would seem he did more than that." Kagami smiled again, and stepped back. I was grateful to have my personal space to myself.

Kagami's words rolled around my head. What could he have meant by that? All Kazuki did was leave a mark on me. A mark that was refusing to heal. Even my natural healing process wasn't doing a damned thing for it.

"What the hell is that meant to mean?"

Kagami raised an eyebrow. "It seems as though he confuses you, too. You are asking yourself questions about him, right?"

Kagami was hitting a little _too_ close to home. What was it to him if I had questions about Kazuki? In reality, what person _didn't_ have questions about Kazuki? There wasn't much known about him. Well, I don't know much about him. It seemed that it was changing.

Either way, I didn't have to stand there and deal with it.

"Whatever," I said. "I have some place to be."

"I hope you enjoy your time with the Prince of Terror. Some of the officials in Babylon City are very intrigued with him."

I froze. If the Prince of Terror was Kazuki, god only knew what the freaks in Babylon City would do if they captured him. I raised an eyebrow, and carried on. That was a big if, anyway.

I rounded a corner, and saw Kazuki standing there. He was staring up at the Beltline. He probably saw something there that I couldn't. He had the same strange expression on his face from when I had returned his wallet. And again, he looked at me with those eyes.

The emotions that swirled in the chocolate depths were unknown to me. I didn't know what was going through his strange mind. I was certain that I saw confusion, and inquiry. It almost seemed as though he had questions, and didn't know who to ask.

I walked a pace past him, and stopped.

"Where's Ginji?"

"With MakubeX and the others. I knew that sending him out to take you to us would have been useless."

I half smirked. Not even I could understand how Ginji continued to get himself lost in this place. I didn't know much about it, but my sense of direction wasn't as bad Ginji's to begin with.

I turned around, just as Kazuki jumped out of the way. I stared at the kunai that were buried in the wall. Whoever had thrown them had a really good arm. I wondered if they had thought about trying out for football.

"Kazuki _no Ito_!"

I twisted my upper body as a kunai was thrown at me. I didn't appreciate being attacked because I was with the person they had a grudge against. And when I thought about, the people of the Infinity Fortress weren't known for their mental stability, or thinking.

I winced as the cut gave a painful throb. I had no idea what was going with Kazuki's eye, but I wished my body wasn't linked with it.

"_Itomaki_," I snapped. "What the hell is happening?"

Kazuki didn't look at me. His eyes were fixated on the teen with the scarred face. The boy stood several feet from the threadspinner. It was like a quick draw contest. The air between them was strained. Each was waiting for the other to make the first move.

My eyes widened slightly as the teenager threw a kunai. Kazuki dodged it, and faster than a blink, he was in front of the kid. His fist connected with the face, and his knee to the gut. The kid fell to the ground, gasping for air.

A figure wrapped in a dirty brown cloak shuffled past me. It walked up to Kazuki, and looked down at the teenager.

"I told you. You are not ready to take on the Prince of Terror," an old voice croaked.

I could feel a headache coming on. I hadn't been inside the Infinity Fortress for an hour, and already shit was hitting the fan. I had no idea why I was even remotely shocked about this, anymore.

I looked around as more people came out of the shadows. They looked slightly deranged. Again, it wasn't anything unnatural for that place. As a unit, they stopped and surrounded the four of us.

The kid slowly staggered to his feet. Kazuki stepped back, standing beside the person in the cloak. He glared at Kazuki, but was smart enough not to make another attack on him.

"This isn't over, Kazuki _no Ito_," the kid warned.

"I never expected it to be," Kazuki said gently, though his voice held no emotion in it.

The kid's eye narrowed. He reached behind his back. My previous thoughts about the kid being smart went out of my head. I knew that if he kept pushing, Kazuki would probably kill him. If not Kazuki, then I would.

Stupidity should not be allowed to live. There was the fear that it may breed.

"Don't even think about it!" an unfamiliar voice shouted from a rooftop.

The kid's head shot up, and the old person turned slightly. The teen lowered his hand, and curled back his lip in distaste. He glared at Kazuki, and then at me, before he turned and walked off. The old person hung back, almost as though it was unsure of what to do.

"The next time you face him, Prince of Terror, it will be your last day on earth."

The others that had stepped out of the shadows melted back into them, as the old crone hobbled down the street after the teenager.

The person that had shouted landed in the street. She had her hands on her hips as she watched them leave. When she faced Kazuki, she had a giant grin on her face. Her blue eyes sparkled in a way that was a little scary.

"That was close! I thought I would have to clean up another body today."

"Another?" Kazuki repeated, as he took in the girl's appearance.

She had short, spiky black hair that framed her face. Her outfit consisted of a black vest over a white, long sleeved shirt, black jeans and black boots. She didn't look as though she was from Lower Town, but she wasn't as flashy as someone from Babylon City. That left the Beltline.

The girl nodded. "I'm one of the few people that clean up after fights. We can't have dead bodies laying around, and spreading disease. You know, despite what people think about this place, there are those that care."

"I didn't realise that the Cleaners employed people so young," Kazuki stated. His voice had an underlying tone of thoughtfulness. I knew something was going around inside that mind of his.

"Things have changed a great deal, especially in Lower Town, when the Volts dismembered and the Thunder Emperor left. Everyone does what they can to survive." The girl lowered her eyes.

"You don't look old enough to know about the Thunder Emperor and the Volts."

"I'm a lot older than I seem. I'll be twenty-two very soon." She grinned about the fact that she was all grown up.

_Touching_, I thought to myself as I place a cigarette between my lips. _Couldn't we talk about this _after_ we have completed the job?_ I knew that it was part of who Kazuki was, to get as much information as he could. It didn't change the fact that I was bored.

"I hope the next time we meet, the circumstances will be different." Kazuki bowed politely, and turned to me.

My eyes drifted over to the girl. She was staring blankly at the back of Kazuki. She must have noticed my gaze, because she suddenly grinned at me. She waved, and ran down an alley. What a strange person.

Kazuki passed me, and I followed him.

"Who are the Cleaners?" I asked, deciding to let my curiosity get the better of me.

"They're a small group of people that incinerate the bodies of the dead. As she said, leaving dead bodies around would cause a lot more disease. I think the people here are suffering enough."

"Why were you surprised they hired her?"

Kazuki turned his head, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. "The Cleaners are run by normal people. People who happened to enter the Infinity Fortress, and decided not to leave. They hold the moral of not wanting to expose young people to too much death. Even after all these years, they still hold onto that."

"Isn't that sweet," I said sarcastically.

It was sweet that they didn't want to expose youth to death. It didn't change the fact that it was the Infinity Fortress, and therefore it was impossible for youngsters to not know about the deaths around them. Most of the children probably had a play in some of them.

Kazuki didn't say anything further, and faced forwards.

I thought back to his speed. In all honesty, I had no idea he could move that quickly. I figured that I would be seeing Kazuki doing a lot of stuff that I didn't think was possible for him. Of course, if he killed someone, then I might start to worry about him a little.

As that struck me, I thought back to being attacked. "Do you know who those people were?"

A soft gasp left Kazuki's mouth. I figured he thought I would have forgotten. I almost had.

"No," Kazuki answered.

I didn't believe him. He knew who they were. So why wasn't he telling me? I decided to head towards another subject. "Are you this Prince of Terror that everyone keeps talking about?"

"Once upon a time, I was."

I grabbed Kazuki's shoulder. He glared at me, took hold of my wrist, and got ready to flip me. My right hand wrapped around Kazuki's neck. I pinned him to a wall. I was getting annoyed with his anger towards me.

"Stop it, _itomaki_," I growled. "I'm getting tired of you, and of your mood swings!"

Kazuki narrowed his eyes. I felt his leg twitch. I didn't want to end up on my back, again. I forced his legs apart, and pressed my hips to his. I wasn't going to let Kazuki get the upper hand. Not again.

"And I want to know why this won't heal!" I turned my head slightly. "And what is up with your eye? What the hell is wrong with you? What did I ever do to you?"

We glared at each other. I didn't know how long Kazuki would be able to hold out. If he didn't speak soon, I would refer to torture to get what I wanted. That wasn't beneath me. I guess, in a sense, I was a little like Kazuki. There were certain things I wanted to know. Only I wasn't like Kazuki, who would probably sneak around for it. I would rip it from someone, if I needed to.

"Are you two fighting?"

I looked down the street. Ginji was standing there, along with Emishi. Emishi had an eyebrow raised, and a smirk on his face. I got the feeling I knew what was going through his mind.

My eyes moved to Ginji. "We'll be back in a few minutes, Ginji. We won't be long."

Ginji tilted his head. I knew he wanted to ask if there was something else that was going on. I wasn't in the mood to explain our strange position. I had no doubt that when Kazuki and I got there, I would have to fend off Kakei. Ginji wouldn't say anything, but I doubted the same could be said for Emishi.

Ginji nodded. Emishi laughed as they walked off. I restrained myself from rolling my eyes. I had more important things to worry about.

"And what is Syl Pharmaceuticals?"

Kazuki struggled against me. I was expecting it, and squeezed his tender throat a little more. He stopped trying to get free. With the way I had him pinned, getting free wasn't going to be an option. If I saw him reach for one of his bells, I could render him useless in seconds.

"Just give me the answers I want."

"Are you done?" Kazuki inquired. "I'm not going to give you anything. You wouldn't understand half of it, anyway."

"You will, _itomaki_, or I'll make sure no one hears your pretty singing voice again." My fingers twitched.

Kazuki lowered his eyes, and I felt something wet land on my wrist. "You wouldn't understand," he whispered. His grip on my left wrist loosened slightly.

In all honesty, I had no idea what to do. I could handle someone if they were attacking me. If they cried, it was something different. What was I meant to do? I wasn't one for these sappy things! Maybe I shouldn't have sent Ginji away.

I removed my hand from Kazuki's throat. Having the pressure there probably wasn't helping his breathing. As soon as I did, the tears dried up, and Kazuki glared at me. I had no idea he could cry on demand.

He shoved me away. "Honestly, Midou, you really shouldn't let someone take advantage of you like that." He smirked and walked on.

I stared after him. Usually when Ginji cried, it didn't affect me. So why had it when Kazuki did? What made him different from Ginji? I cursed my mind, and walked after Kazuki.

It was obvious that I was over-thinking this whole situation.

We arrived seven minutes later. I ignored the cocky grin on Emishi's face. I got the feeling that Kakei was trying to insert his needles into my body, with his mind, as he checked Kazuki, who kept telling his friend that he was fine. I stood beside Ginji, who was beside MakubeX, as computer boy typed away.

"So what are these deaths?" I asked.

MakubeX stopped typing. He glanced at Sakura. "Could we have a minute alone, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded, got to her feet, and left the room. When we were alone, MakubeX pulled up a video. I raised an eyebrow as I watched. A man walked down the street, minding his own business. It was pretty boring, until the man coughed up blood.

The man eventually died, after something that looked like an internal organ was coughed up. I was actually speechless. I had no idea what to make of it. I had never heard of anyone coughing up a full organ. Of course, it could have been a clump of lung, or something like that.

"These are the strange deaths. They've been happening all around Lower Town. I can't think of a single reason as to why."

Syl Pharmaceuticals entered my mind, again, along with Ren's words. _"I don't even know why they call themselves a pharmacy."_ While the file said that Syl had nothing to do with this, I knew they had a playing hand. They were holding cards. All we had to do was figure out which ones they were.

"Do you have any thoughts on the matter, Ginji-san?" MakubeX looked up at the former ruler.

Ginji shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't."

Kazuki stood beside me. "Could you replay it, please?"

I frowned. "You want to see that again?"

"I thought I saw something," Kazuki answered casually.

"Yeah, trust me; you did see someone coughing themselves to death." I didn't care what anyone said; I lit the smoke that was between my lips.

Kazuki shook his head. His bells chimed quietly. "No, not the man. There was something else." The video was replayed. "There, pause it."

The video was paused as the man coughed up the first amount of blood. Kazuki lent forward, squinting. It seemed as though he was trying to read something. I waited patiently.

"There it is." He pointed to the screen. "Does that look familiar to anyone?"

The three of us squinted, as well. I had no idea what he was talking about. I searched the image, and finally spotted what Kazuki was talking about. I couldn't believe I had missed it. Naturally, my eyes weren't in tune with simple things like that. Kazuki would be looking for the slightest sign of any threads.

But it was there. Attached to man's neck was a wire. It was amazing that Kazuki had seen it. If I had watched it several times, I probably still wouldn't have seen it. Ginji was still trying to see what we saw.

"Oh, wow! Good eye, Kazu-chan."

Kazuki smiled at Ginji. "You would have seen it, eventually. Doesn't that look like your Wire Doll technology, MakubeX?"

"It does; but it couldn't be. I destroyed all of that." MakubeX enhanced the image. "I don't know how someone could find the information I had on it. I erased everything about it."

"But you always leave an impression of it on the hard drive," I said. "You probably should have destroyed that, instead of the information."

MakubeX stared at me. I figured they forgot that I had a brain, and liked to use it. He nodded, concurring with me. It seemed so obvious, when someone said it out loud. I was surprised that MakubeX hadn't thought of it. He was the one that was meant to be good with computers.

MakubeX frowned slightly. I got the feeling that he was formulating a plan. I knew he would come up with something. If it was the Wire Doll system, which was something used during the IL recovery, then MakubeX should know how to disable it.

Not unless they changed the coding that MakubeX had used. I was assuming that was highly likely. They had decided to reuse something that almost everyone was familiar with. They would have to protect it, somehow.

And while I didn't know much about the Wire Doll system, I was fairly certain that using it to control a person's body like that wasn't part of the initial programme. And if it wasn't, how were they using that to kill someone? How was it possible? How could they tap into a person's nervous system, to begin with, much less into their lungs?

"I know what I should have done. Unfortunately, I didn't do that. And I don't recall a breach on the system. I would have known if someone tried to get in." MakubeX pulled a knee to his chest, staring at the screen.

"What if someone didn't come in from the outside?" Kazuki volunteered. That got my attention. Threadspinner was onto something. "What if they used your computer to copy the information they needed?"

MakubeX shook his head. "I never leave my computers. What if I do and someone is attacked?"

"You're one of the new Volts," I said. "When do you go out and socialise with the people of this city?"

MakubeX opened his mouth, but closed it almost instantly. I seemed to have had a point there. I smirked, as MakubeX flipped through the data in his mind. How long had these deaths started appearing? If they had a super genius with them, it wouldn't have taken long before the system was operational.

"I think the last time we all went out – and I mean all of us – was five weeks ago. Usually Juubei and Emishi do the walk-throughs, making sure everything is peaceful. There really isn't any need for all of us to be out there." MakubeX lowered his eyes. "But that doesn't explain anything. I mean, I would have powered down my computers, or at least password protected them."

"Passwords are made to be broken, MakubeX-kun. Just like rules," Kazuki added before I could. "I already know what your password is. Anyone that knows you, or has studied your habits knows what your password is."

"Then what is it, _itomaki_?" I demanded.

It was annoying that Kazuki already knew what computer boy's password is. Of course, it didn't occur to me that Kazuki had known MakubeX years longer than I. I guess I was beginning to turn everything with the threadspool into a pissing match. It couldn't be helped.

Kazuki stared at me blankly, ignoring the inquiring eyes on him. He bent and whispered into MakubeX's ear. He didn't take his eyes off mine, and for some reason, I wanted bury his face into a wall. I had no idea where that urge came from. I blamed it on the fact that Kazuki was being annoyingly weird.

"That's right. I think I'll have to change that. It's probably out in the open, by now." MakubeX sighed.

"Do you have any idea what the LI is?" I asked, finally taking my eyes off of Kazuki.

MakubeX shook his head. I should have known that it wasn't going to be that easy. "I only know that it's a data file, and that it was stolen, as well. I don't know what data it contains, or where they're keeping it."

"Do you know what 'Kuroshi' is?" Ginji inquired, finally speaking up.

Again, MakubeX shook his head. "They aren't mentioned anywhere. I only know what I've heard from people on the street. They're into experiments, and that they're located on the Beltline."

I pushed my glasses up my nose. "Well, I guess we had better get a move on. We wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

Ginji frowned slightly. "Do you really think they're waiting for us, Ban-chan?"

I snickered. "Of course they're waiting for us. When have we ever entered this damn place, and taken the bad guy by surprise?"

Ginji opened his mouth to answer, but closed it. I knew I was right about that; everyone knew I was right. Of course, some of them didn't want to believe that. I left the room, and then the building. I stood outside, staring up at the blue sky.

Why would our client want a data file? What kind of data was in the file? And what sort of experiments were Kuroshi doing? Naturally, it had to be human experiments. God forbid they used rats, or some other sort of vermin.

I rested my head against the wall, closing my eyes. We were going to be stuck inside the Infinity Fortress for a while. No-one seemed to know the location of anything we were after. And then there was the fact that Kazuki was being hunted by some street gang. This mission was likely to be more difficult that the recovery of anything else.

"Ban-chan?"

I opened my eyes, and looked into Ginji's concerned ones. "What's up, Ginji?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear what he had to say. There was something that he seemed unsure to ask.

"Is everything okay between you and Kazu-chan?" he asked slowly, preparing himself for the punch he was expecting.

I sighed, and closed my eyes again. "Maybe you should be asking _itomaki_ about it, and not me."

Ginji shifted slightly. "The air between the two of you seems…tense. And when we found you, you were in that strange position. And there's the fact that Kazuki changes whenever you're around him. I tried asking Juubei about it, but he didn't say anything."

I frowned. The strain between Kazuki and I was really getting to Ginji. I never really thought it would be that bad. Maybe because I never paid much attention to it. I should have known, though. Ginji always wanted nothing more than to have us all get along.

But I still didn't know what I had done to Kazuki. And until he told me, I wasn't going to apologise. That was up to him. He was the one that was harbouring some kind of grudge against me.

"Look, Ginji," I started, cracking an eye and watching him. "Whatever is happening between me and _itomaki_ is between us. We'll sort it out, eventually."

Ginji didn't seem please with that answer, and I honestly didn't blame him. He was dying to know what was happening between us. I would gladly tell, if I knew. Until then, he was going to have deal with that answer. Let's face it, Kazuki couldn't stay mad at me forever, over something I didn't know about. Right?

I silently groaned at that idea. For all I knew, Kazuki probably held grudges against everyone. He was just making his dislike for me more well known.

I flashed a confident smile at Ginji. His eyes flickered over to the cut on my cheek. I had been thinking about asking Kakei about it. But he would know it was from Kazuki, and then he would demand to know what I had done to make his sweet _itomaki_ attack someone. And who really needs the drama?

I shook my head. I wasn't going to tell Ginji about it. "It's bleeding," he said.

I touched my cheek. Yeah, it was bleeding again. I was surprised that I didn't feel the blood. "Is there a band-aid or something?"

"You could ask Juubei about it. He might know a technique to heal it."

I shook my head again. "No, I don't want Juubei to know about it. He'll probably go crazy."

Ginji tilted his head. "What makes you say that? How did you get it?"

Ginji really couldn't see it? He couldn't see that it was made from Kazuki's strings? I turned around, searching the building for a window I could use as a mirror. There had to be a reason why Ginji hadn't made the connection.

I found a window. It didn't help that every time I tried to clean it down, it didn't make a difference. After five minutes of wiping, I finally had a clear patch that I could look at. I turned my head. My eyes widened at the sight of the cut. At least I found out why it was constantly bleeding.

It was morphing.

* * *

><p><span>End Chapter III.<span>

I do apologise for how long it took me to update.  
>And because I have not done much work on Chapter 4, it will likely not be posted until after the New Year.<br>So with that in mind, please have a safe holiday season, and a great New Year.


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